To be concerned about my memory/concentration?

[Myturntobringthemilk]

Will try to make this short!

I've never had a great memory, i have very few childhood memories at all and the ones i do have are not in great detail, for example i can remember a holiday i went on at about age 6 or when my parents split up age 7 but i only remember it as an event that happened and more so because other members of the family may mention it over the years, i dont recall any details just the fact that i went on this holiday or that one day my dad moved away kind of thing.

I can rewatch shows such as csi/detective programs over and over as i can never remember who the killer was, i will remember details from the program as i watch it but not enough to be bored of watching it again.

I've always found it hard to concentrate on one thing and i often find it easier to concentrate when something else is going on for example i used to read with the tv on for background noise as a child and as an adult i am always on my phone/playing a game when watching tv because i can't just sit and watch tv with my hands and brain idle if that makes any sense.

I've always thought id be no good if i witnessed a crime as i forget what someone looks like in seconds, if i have a delivery and take a parcel from somebody i couldn't tell you what they looked like once id shut the door. Sometimes i dont even register if they are male or female.

In the last year however my concentration has gotten worse, i have to watch presentations for work and i sit through them and haven't heard a word that's been said. I'm not on my phone/watching tv etc i am giving it my full attention but my mind is elsewhere and everytime i try to bring it back to the presentation i just can't take it in. I ignore my DP all the time but not intentionally at all, if i'm looking at the tv or my phone or i can even be cooking or staring into space i genuinely do not hear him talking to me and he's constantly getting fed up thinking i do it on purpose, which i am not.

AIBU to be concerned about this?

Look into ADD or ADHD? You do seem to have some of the indicators and it sounds like a lifelong thing for you, not age related.

I have adult colouring books for concentration. 10 or 15 minutes on a timer. And non negotiable 10 min on Elevate or NeuroNation apps. It does help actually. But yeah. I feel you. I do occasionally have to rewind movie or a series and I do read every page twice🙄

I can get like this when my Vit D hits the floor. Which is often.

@FAQs

I can get like this when my Vit D hits the floor. Which is often.

I get anxiety.l, even though i am normally never anxious. Never thought it can impact concentration like this too!

Yes i have thought about ADHD in the past, might have to have another look into it and see if things fit.
I just feel like nobody else could relate to it so it's reassuring that others can relate to what i've described!

I get it a lot. it's partly (apparently) due to perimenopause - I'm 48 and have had a bad memory since I was about forty. I mentioned it to my GP and he also raised a couple of useful points:

• your brain does not have an infinite amount of space. As you get older and add new memories, your old ones will disappear or at least blur. We are being asked to remember so much stuff these days - passwords, diaries, other info, that you will naturally lose some.

• I expressed a concern that I couldn't remember childhood holidays - everything merges into one big Greek holiday because we went to a different island every year. He pointed out that my parents are long-dead, and I don't see my brother much, so I don't do any "reminiscing" of those times. If we did, then those memories would be reinforced, almost as new memories, but because that isn't happening, those are being lost.

I've started keeping a diary - not a heartfelt teenaged thing, but just as an aide de memoir of what I've been up to. It helps a lot.

Can you remember what fruit is used to make marmalade?

@araiwa Oranges???